waiting game
Plural
waiting games
1
a strategy in which one deliberately refrains from taking any action in order to gain advantage later on
The idiom "waiting game" is derived from the concept of waiting as if it were a game with rules and strategies. It refers to a situation in which someone must remain patient and endure a period of waiting for an outcome or resolution, often due to circumstances beyond their control. This idiom is used to refer to the idea of patience and the need to endure a delay or uncertainty.
- Although most people were relieved that the waiting game was over, the first days and nights were nerve-racking.
- Lucy only wished that she could have more of the patience required to play a waiting game.
- Job seekers often play the waiting game after submitting applications, hoping for interview invitations.
- During a medical investigation, patients often find themselves in a waiting game as they await test results and a diagnosis.
- Investors sometimes have to play the waiting game as they wait for the right market conditions to make profitable trades.